Athletic protective device



Dec. 17; 1929.

H. GOLDSMITH ATHLETIC PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed Oct. 31. 1.928

INVENTOR.

vz mw am ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 17, 1929 STATES PATENT OFFICE HUGO GOLDSMITH, F CINCINNATI, OHIOQASSIGNOR TO THE P. GOLDSMITH SONS COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO ATHLETIC PROTECTIVE DEVICE Application filed October 31, 1928. Serial No. 316,299.

of the wearer the protective pads have been mounted in spaced position allowing an unpadded line of articulation. These lines of articulation have consequently been unprotected and as a result injury has often resulted by a blow on one of these unprotected areas.

One of the essential places which require protection is the body in the vicinity of the kidneys. Another place requiring protection is the body in the vicinity of the hip socket joints. The free movement of the body between these two protected areas has been permitted through an unprotected area where the flexible supporting waist band has been free to bend. It so happens that as the protective garments are made standard, that is, that the protective pads are mounted in similar positions on different waist enclosing supports, that according to the particular shape of the wearers body, some zones between the portion of the body in the vicinity of the kidneys and the hip socket joints have been unprotected.

It is the object of my invention to provide a protective device which will protect the wearer from the upper side of the zone of the body in which the kidneys are located down over the zone in which the hip socket joints are located without an intervening unprotected zone and at the same time in which there will be entire freedom of movement for the wearer when he assumes a crouching position. It is specifically my object to provide a flexible supporting band for enclosing the waist with protecting pads for the kidneys and protectin pads for the hip socket joints with preferably integral portions of the kidney pads extending down overlapping the hip socket protectors.

The above and other objects to which reference will be made in the ensuing disclosure I accomplish by that certain combination and arrangement of parts of which I have illus trated a preferred modification.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the protecting device laid out flat.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 22 in Figure 1 showing the preferred type of kidney protector overlaping the hip socket oint protector.

I have shown a flexible waist enclosing band 1, in this instance comprising a felt pad having a strap 2 at one side which, when the wearer adjusts the device arround his waist, is secured within a buckle 8 attached to the opposite side of vthe pad. Pieces of shock absorbing material, in this instance leather, are stitched to the pad as indicated at 4, 5, 6 and 7. The pieces 4 and 5 are the protectors for the right and left kidney zones respectively, and the pieces 6 and 7 are the protectors for the right and left hip socket joints respectively.

It is of considerable importance that the pads 4t and 5 be shaped as shown in the drawings. They have a narrow width at the groin section and extend in a flaring wider section over the hip bones. Thus free movement is allowed and the groin section, kidney and hip socket joints are adequately protected.

In order to provide overlapping members which will extend from the kidney pads 4 and 5 to the hip socket joint pads 6 and 7, I cut out the kidney protectors as indicated with extensions 8 and 9 respectively which will overlap the hip socket joint pads and at the same time leave the areas 10 and 11 so that they will be free to bend when the wearer assumes a crouching position or when his body is bent into position other than straight.

In the particular protecting device illustrated I have further shown a pad 12 stitched to the back of the garment for protecting the base of the spine and while the placing of a pad in this position does not, in itself, constitute invention, I may extend parts of the kid ney pads out so as to overlap the spine protector.

The flexible extensions 8 extend from lines of stitching which curve upwardly from the ends of the pads providing curved lines of articulation, as indicated at 13. Further, in my preferred modification I provide tufted padding as indicated at 14 on the band in the areas thereof which underlies the extensions. Lines of articulation which run transverse the band permit the tufted padding to bend freely so that there will be no rigidity to the pad tending to restrict free movement of the wearer.

A modification of my invention which will readily occur to those skilled in the art is to apply separate pieces instead of extending portions of the kidney pads and tosecure these overlapping pieces to the kidney pads in any suitable manner as with straps.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is z- An athletic protective device comprising a waist enclosing band with protective guard members secured to the band so that they will overlie the kidneys of a wearer, said band being flexible below said guard members and shock resisting portions unattached at their lowerends extending downwardly from said guard members, said portions being formed integrally with said guard members and having curved lines of articulation relative thereto.

HUGO GOLDSMITH. 

